When I was home in Connecticut about a month ago, I came across one of my old diaries from middle school. The content was humiliating, hilarious and also enlightening. I read about my interactions with friends, boys (embarrassing), and every day life of seventh grade. Reliving my insights to myself at the time reminded me how much I've changed (and what hasn't changed) since then. The fact that I used to write in a diary every day is mind boggling to me, as now I feel like I barely have time to collect my thoughts at the end of each day, since the stresses of the next day are already weighing on me. Writing in a journal every once in a while seems like a good idea to decompress but also to 1. practice writing and improve, and 2. create something I'll be able to look back on years to come and remember what I was actually doing in my twenties. I swear, sometimes I can't even remember the little ongoings of what I was doing when I graduated college and first moved to New York, which makes me feel like I have a terrible memory. Writing in a journal also seems like a good way to add a positive routine into my life. I guess this blog serves as a journal of sorts, but I'd like to have a place where I can record more personal thoughts as well.

On Sunday my friend Lauren and I went to Haven's Kitchen in Chelsea for a bake sale raising money for the ACLU. They had spreads of the most delicious looking baked goods, an adorable bunny named Cleo (who I lated realized is an Instagram celeb), and I picked up amazing looking salted butter caramel sauce, and a wooden pinch bowl that I can't wait to use! Afterwards we walked over to the new McNally Jackson stationary store on West 8th street and it was truly a writer's heaven. It was full of beautiful notebooks, papers, pens, and other fun office supplies. Naturally I wanted everything. I decided to buy a little lined journal from France with tiny blue moons all over the cover. I'm hoping that if I have something special to write in I'll actually sit down a couple times a week and put my thoughts down. If I succeed and fill up this little notebook, it gives me all the more reason to go back and buy one of the large pretty notebooks down the road. Does anyone else have a journal? Or trying to start one? Happy Monday!

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 8 or 9 inch loaf pan with some coconut oil on a paper towel.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well before adding the next. Add the yogurt and ricotta, and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the flour, baking powder, and spices and mix until even. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

In a small bowl, stir together cinnamon and brown sugar for the layers. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the batter in the pan.

Pour the rest of the batter over the cinnamon-sugar and carefully smooth the top. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-sugar evenly over the top of the batter, and sprinkle on the sliced almonds.

Bake for at least 50 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Some ovens can take longer than others. Just start checking at 50 minutes, and keep adding 10 minutes if it's not ready.